THE Coroner’s Court heard that a Form Two student was not a close friend of Zara Qairina Mahathir but only met her occasionally, including at the musollah (a Muslim prayer room), where they sometimes talked about ghost stories.
Counsel Shahlan Jufri, who leads the legal team for Zara’s mother, said the 65th deponent described their relationship as casual.
“According to the child witness’s written statement, she had met Zara several times, but they were not close friends.
“The child deponent stated that most of her encounters with Zara occurred by chance within the school compound, such as at the musollah, canteen, or academic block, without involving a close relationship or any deep personal sharing.
“She also said that she and her friends would usually only share or listen to stories about their siblings’ behaviour.
“She described her relationship with Zara as that of ordinary friends, without any sharing of personal or private matters.
“Their conversations typically revolved around schoolwork, hostel activities, and ghost stories, and they never shared personal secrets with one another.
“She also stated that they never planned to meet or made arrangements to carry out any activities together or hang out.
“She said they only met by chance and never spent time hanging out together. They would sometimes meet, for example, at the musollah, where they talked about schoolwork and occasionally shared ghost stories,” he told the media during a press conference on Wednesday.
Shahlan also told the media that the child deponent said she only revealed what happened the last time she met and spoke with Zara one hour before Zara was found unconscious on the grounds of the hostel, three months later because she feared backlash from the media and netizens.
“She said she feared that she would be blamed for the incident involving Zara.
“We also asked the deponent about any matters pertaining to Zara at the school, and the child deponent said she heard from juniors that Zara was bullied, such as being asked to fetch water and cook instant noodles.
“But when we asked who bullied Zara, the child deponent said juniors but did not provide specifics about the students.
“Regarding the incident when Zara was called and questioned by seniors, the child deponent said she did not know about the matter,” said Shahlan.
Shahlan further said that the deponent had also confirmed that Zara’s previous statements about suicide were never considered serious, but were instead seen as jokes based on her tone and the circumstances of the conversations.
In the meantime, Shahlan and his team advised against fueling speculation and urged caution when making comments.
“This is because such matters can disrupt the progress of the inquest, including those directly involved, such as witnesses, lawyers, and the judge.
“These issues can also affect the emotions of the deponents. I believe this is the first inquest in Malaysia involving more than 20 child deponents, while also involving the Children’s Court,” he said.
Shahlan also noted that the appearance of the new child deponent should have been at the beginning of the inquest and not only now, adding that they had only learned about the deponent last week.
